'Working a job for free': Calgarian who says Scrubbi failed to pay her isn't surprised it went belly-up

Scrubbi, a B.C.-based cleaning company has been accused of not paying contractors.

It's not so much that Scrubbi didn't pay her the money it owed her and cost her more funds beyond that, Amar Jeha says -- it's that the Surrey-based house cleaning company wasted her time.

The Calgary mom of two says she's mostly just annoyed.

"I could have just spent that time with my kids, instead of working a job for free," Amar told CTV News Calgary on Friday.

She still intends to try to finally get paid, though.

But while the news Scrubbi's gone belly-up didn't come as a surprise to Amar, she doesn't know what it means for her odds.

The story Amar Jeha tells is familiar -- it's similar to the story of many a Scrubbi cleaning contractor at this point.

For months, CTV News Vancouver has reported on cleaning contractors not getting paid by Scrubbi.

The company's owner blamed it on a new payment system and problems with the bank.

On Wednesday, CTV News Vancouver heard from a head office employee who said he was notified by CEO Daniel Deckert that operations have been shut down.

CTV News Vancouver went to Scrubbi headquarters on Thursday and it appeared no one was there.

The Scrubbi website remains operational, however.

The story Amar tells is familiar -- it's similar to the story of many a Scrubbi cleaning contractor at this point.

She saw a job posting online in August.

The company seemed legit and offered flexible hours and decent pay, so she signed up.

She even got her sister to sign up with her.

And then, Amar says, it got shady.

"Before the orientation, they wanted me to go and buy all the cleaning supplies," she said.

"They said that on the first paycheque, they would reimburse me for that."

Amar says she shrugged it off and started using the app to book jobs.

Her first paycheque -- the one that was to have the reimbursement for supplies attached -- didn't arrive the day it was supposed to, she says.

Nor did it arrive the next week, she says.

She says it was the same with her sister.

"I tried emailing them, calling them. ... I left voicemails. They didn't bother reaching back out," Amar said.

"Finally, I got a hold of someone at the front desk you call to book an appointment with them. ... They said they were having trouble with their payments through the bank.

"I was like, 'OK, so why can't someone reach out and explain the situation instead of sitting there ignoring (me), but when someone doesn't show up to a job, you guys call them right away?'

"It was ridiculous."

After that phone call, Amar says, she received an automated email stating a new date she would be paid, and that date also came and went with no sign of funds landing in her bank account.

And she says she still has not been.

"I just stopped working with them. ... Why would I continue to work if I'm not getting paid?"

Amar says that was around the time she realized just how many people were asking that same question.

She says she looked but didn't see any red flags before she signed up, but "after I didn't get paid, then I started seeing reviews with employees commenting and saying they're scammers, they haven't paid them yet and this and that."

Dozens of cleaning contractors have come forward claiming to be owed thousands of dollars by Scrubbi.

Customers have also come forward claiming to be out thousands of dollars after paying upfront for a full year's service.

CTV News Vancouver tried reaching out to Deckert and emailed the company several times over the past two weeks, but has not received a response.

Bankruptcy lawyer Geoffrey Dabbs confirmed to CTV News Vancouver the company, as of Thursday evening, has not filed for bankruptcy.

But in these situations, he says, it's usually only a matter of time.

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With files from Shannon Paterson and Kevin Carach in Vancouver